Brains / IQ and wealth

[d000hg]

Lots of the smartest people in the UK disappear into academia and earn a pittance. It's one big difference between the UK and US.

Well, if you can get a professorship it's not a pittance but it's nowhere near the big-time, probably equivalent to managing an offshore team or something easy.

[scooterscot]

Lots of the smartest people in the UK disappear into academia and earn a pittance. It's one big difference between the UK and Germany.

Well, if you can get a professorship it's not a pittance but it's nowhere near the big-time, probably equivalent to managing an offshore team or something easy.

[DimPrawn]

The UK values financial speculation and property ownership / development.

Some more backward countries favour IT, engineering, science that sort of rubbish yes.

[Hobosapien]

So the smartest know that materialism and the pursuit of it isn't the path to true happiness?

Maybe the path is hard to find or difficult to follow and that's why most people (statistically many must be above average intelligence) just go with the flow of school, marriage, kids, mortgages, dull jobs, working until the body's too knackered to enjoy retirement, having such a thing as retirement to look forward to in the first place.

It's like those elephants that turn up at a dock daily but don't know why yet still do it, because their parents and previous generations did (originally for food off the boats). No benefit to them now the boats are long gone but unable to change their path.

I think the yanks call it "keep drinking the kool-aid folks". Me? I'll have the cherry flavour please.

[bobspud]

From my dealings with directors of multinational companies - all of them incredibly wealthy -most of them were in the position due to who they knew. Of the ones who'd come up from relatively humble origins, many were just very good politically. A small minority were super smart.

Academia is awash with clever people who don't earn much.

Ah but that wealth is still given to them by a company that they don't own. I think the point that the prawn is making is that if we stood three randoms in a row and said you need to make as much money as possible and bring it to us next week IQ wouldn't always win.

[BrilloPad]

I want to be one of those miserable rich people who can tell everyone money doesn't make you happy.

At least you achieved the miserable bit.

[scooterscot]

I think the point that the prawn is making is that if we stood three randoms in a row and said you need to make as much money as possible and bring it to us next week IQ wouldn't always win.

My belief is IQ would choose not to win.

[scooterscot]

So the smartest know that materialism and the pursuit of it isn't the path to true happiness?

Maybe the path is hard to find or difficult to follow and that's why most people (statistically many must be above average intelligence) just go with the flow of school, marriage, kids, mortgages, dull jobs, working until the body's too knackered to enjoy retirement, having such a thing as retirement to look forward to in the first place.

It's like those elephants that turn up at a dock daily but don't know why yet still do it, because their parents and previous generations did (originally for food off the boats). No benefit to them now the boats are long gone but unable to change their path.

I think the yanks call it "keep drinking the kool-aid folks". Me? I'll have the cherry flavour please.

Happiness is not a path, its a choice.

[d000hg]

Research has shown a strong correlation between IQ and religion.

Actually, it hasn't. IIRC there has been shown a 5 point difference on average between those who classify themselves as religious and those who do not. This is not a strong correlation - you'd expect a smart atheist to understand what "strong correlation" means

Religion and politics transcend brains (take that how you prefer )

[DodgyAgent]

The pursuit of truth has many riches, accumulating money isn't one of them.

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Being an agent I prefer lies and riches to truth and poverty